Free To Wed a Scandalous Spy by Celeste Bradley Page B

waterwheel of the mill that did him in."
    "He fell under the wheel?"
    "Not right away. That was after the footbridge crumbled under him as he tried to climb out."
    "The footbridge?" Good God, maybe she
was
jinxed.
    "Yes, when he caught the big stick I threw to him to help him out of the water. Or rather, tried to catch it. He should never have let go of the side of the mill."
    "No, of course not. How careless of him," said Nathaniel faintly. The story of Wesley Moss made him feel as though he had narrowly escaped his own death on the road today at midday.
    "Well, there you are. Jinxed."
    Nathaniel was confused. What did this have to do with waking up by the side of the lane?
    "So, you threw a stick at me?"
    "Oh no." Willa shook her head earnestly. "I never throw sticks anymore. In your case it was a stone. I was attempting to spring a poacher's trap before some dear hedgehog lost his life. My stone hit a hornets' nest. Which fell before your horse. But it wasn't intended. The slingshot was defective."
    Nathaniel felt something wild and vaguely familiar and a bit frightening bubbling up inside him. He clenched his jaw and waited the episode out with grim determination. When he was quite sure he would
not
laugh, he put the horses to a brisk walking pace and handed Willa back her reins.
    She seemed relieved that he wasn't angry about the slingshot. He was far too bemused to be angry. What kind of woman waited by the road to bag a husband like a rabbit? He hoped the method didn't catch on.
    They rode in silence for over a mile before Nathaniel realized that something was odd. Silence? It was certainly a relief, but after another mile, his unease began to grow.
    After the third mile, he couldn't stand it anymore. He pulled Blunt nose to nose with the mare. They shared a whuffling greeting, which was more than he got from Miss Trent. Finally, he turned to her abruptly. "What is wrong?"
    Willa only looked at him. He eyed her suspiciously. Something was up. "Why aren't you talking? You never stop talking."
    She shrugged.
    "Are you ill?"
    She shook her head.
No
.
    "Are you angry? Have I offended you?" He felt uneasy, looking back on his behavior. "Why won't you speak?"
    She grinned at him.
    "Willa?"
    "Being on the receiving end of the silent treatment makes the questions come all by themselves, doesn't it?"
    She had tricked him. Quite neatly, too. Nathaniel could only stare at her, mouth open. This time he couldn't help himself. He laughed, a single rusty bark.
    Now it was Willa's turn to stare.
    She pointed at him. "You laughed. I heard you. Don't deny it."
    Nathaniel scowled at her. "And now you are very pleased with yourself, aren't you?"
    "Indeed." Her expression was smug. "If I had paper and ink, I should record this event for history. They shall declare it a holiday someday, no doubt."
    "Keep that up, Willa, and you'll find a spider in your sheets come morning."
    "I like spiders," she said staunchly, but then she wrinkled her nose. "Although I prefer them to stay out of doors. You wouldn't, would you? Were you one of those awful boys, full of pranks and wickedness?"
    "Nothing so interesting, I'm afraid. I was a sullen little sod, envious of my father's attentions and spoiled to boot."
    She considered him for a long moment. "Who did your father love better than you? Your brother?"
    "I have no brother. Only a foundling boy that my father schooled and encouraged. A poor, hungry boy off the streets—and I was jealous of him. Can you imagine?" He snorted. "I told you I was spiteful."
    Willa smiled. "I can understand that. I shouldn't have liked sharing my parents' love with a stranger, I think. What was the boy's name? If I am bound to hate him for you, then I hope he has a properly poisonous name. Percival? Mortimer?"
    "I don't hate him." Nathaniel turned his face away. "And his name is Simon."
    Simon, who had rescued five-year-old Nathaniel from kidnappers and had been rewarded with an education and the respect of Nathaniel's